Gasoline-powered vehicles are often lighter than their battery-powered derivatives, in part due to battery weight. For example, a gasoline-powered 2017 Ford Focus can have a curb weight of between 2,935 and 3,055 lbs. A 2017 Ford Focus Electric can have a curb weight of 3,640 lbs.
Vehicle bodies generally include pillars, often referred to as A, B, C and D pillars. A vehicle body can also include roof rails and bows. Roof rails are elongated longitudinally in a vehicle-forward to a vehicle-rearward direction on opposite lateral sides of a vehicle, and may be supported by the pillars. Bows generally extend transversely between the roof rails. The roof rails may support the bows.
The prior art Ford Focus Electric includes a T-brace 24. Drawings of the prior art Focus Electric T-brace 24 are shown in FIGS. 1A-E. The prior art T-brace 24 has a base 26 and an arm 28, as shown in FIGS. 1A-C. As shown in FIGS. 1C-E, when installed on a vehicle body 10, the base 26 of the prior art T-brace 24 extends longitudinally along a roof rail 12 and across a pillar 22, and is spot-welded along a length of the base 26 to the roof rail 12. The arm 28 of the prior art T-brace 24 extends from the base 26 along a length of a first bow 18, and is spot-welded to the first bow 18.